


Plance Detective Au

by Toocool2btrue



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Detective AU, F/M, Flirting, Friendship, Happy Ending?, Hidden Feelings, Hunay, Jealousy, Minor Character Deaths, Murder, Mysteries, Slow Burn, be prepared for a lot of relationship angst, bretrayal, flirty robot, pidgance, plance, potential kallura, there is going to be a wedding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-02-25 11:47:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22495579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toocool2btrue/pseuds/Toocool2btrue
Summary: The case of the unexpected murders of Alfor Arus and his wife Melenor that startled the nation and awakened the press has now landed in the hands of Katie Holt and Lance Serrano.Handling such a high level case wasn't expected to be easy but these two detectives find themselves getting further entangled in the mystery as new faces, hidden motivations and untold stories began to arise.
Relationships: Allura and Pidge, Allura/keith?, Haggar/Zarkon (Voltron), Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Iverson & Shiro (Voltron), James Griffin/Pidge, Katie Holt/Lance, Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Lance & Shiro (Voltron), Lance and hunk, Lotor and Allura, Lotor and Katie, Shiro and Katie, zarkon and Alfor
Comments: 23
Kudos: 27





	1. Friends or Foes?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Artemisarya](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Artemisarya).



> This is a thank you gift for the lovely Secret Santa given to me by Arty! Thank you for the lovely surprise again. I hope you enjoy this and I promise to complete this as soon as possible

The two officers sat in the magnificent drawing room of the grand mansion that once belonged to Alfor Arus. The walls were lined with expensive paintings collected over many years to awe the guest and Katie was sure the sofa they were sitting on cost more than her car but despite all this luxury she couldn't help but pity the young heiress who had recently lost both of her parents.

Miss Allura Arus the only child of the late Alfor and Melenor Arus, was sitting in front of them, dressed in all black with her long platinum blonde hair tied back in a hasty bun as she narrated her side of the story.

"I was in England attending a close friend's wedding. I had left a week before the...everything was almost fine at that time" she informed.

"Almost fine?" Katie in turn questioned, hoping for some interesting clues.Allura sharply inhaled before continuing, "My father was worried about something regarding work. I tried to ask him but he brushed it off saying it was just a small inconvenience" she answered.

"Your father was one of the most powerful and richest men in Altea. Do you perhaps know if he had any rivals or enemies?" Katie asked.

Allura shook her head, much to the disappointment of the two officers, "I am not really sure about that. For my education, I had spent a great deal of my late teens and early adult life in England and only recently moved back permenantly to Altea so I am out of touch a great deal of my parents lives."

"Was there any particular reason for him to send you so far away. Was he paranoid regarding your safety?" Lance asked.

Allura shook her head, "Initially it was my mother's desire for me to graduate highschool from the same boarding school she did and then I chose myself to stay there for further education. My father was never paranoid over my safety when I lived there, he was simply a bit protective from time to time like any other parent"

Lance and Katie glanced at each other, this interview wasn't proving to be very fruitful. They had been going around in circles for a longtime without any new or useful information. Katie who always was a bit short of patience had now started to feel a bit frustrated so she motioned Lance to take the lead.

"Miss Allura" he calmly began. "I know you are trying your best to cooperate with us but we are still lacking important information to solve this case. So can you please remember anything suspicious that might have happened? Perhaps a shady relative or friend that you might think could be involved?" he suggested.

Allura fell silent for a moment, thinking hard about his question. The pair looked at her expectantly but after a minute or two. She lowered her head in guilt, "I am sorry" her voice quivered for the first time during the whole interview. Cracks had started to appear on the calm facade she had been holding onto as tears started to stream down her face. 

Katie by now had dealt many cases of homicide but she couldn't help but feel slightly startled each time the victim's loved ones started crying, it was certainly a painful sight to see. She was grateful to Lance for handling it each time, as he swiftly pulled out a handful of tissue and handed them to Allura.

"I am sorry" she sniffed, trying to hold back her tears. "I really want to help you bring justice to my parents death but I don't have the information you need. I feel so useless " she confessed, jabbing her face with the tissues.

Lance and Katie shared a concerned look before turning back to Allura. "We understand that this all must be very overwhelming for you. You showed great strength and have been as helpful as you could have been but I suppose it's better if we leave for now" Lance suggested as he and Katie stood up to take their leave

Lance was the first to head out but Katie paused at the doorway. She slowly walked back to Allura and placed her hand on her shoulder, Allura looked up partly surprised as Katie gave her a small smile.

"Take care of yourself and don't worry we'll do our best" Katie assured the grief stricken girl to which Allura gratefully nodded in return. 

______________________

"This case is the most frustrating thing ever!" Katie declared, getting out of the car. "The head of one of the most prestigious families in Altea and we have no solid clues to work on" she gestured wildly with her hands.

"What?" She questioned annoyed as Lance cheekily smiled at her. Katie never liked that grin it was always a sign that Lance was going to say something ridiculous.

"You have started to grow soft because of me. I know that you stopped to comfort her. Who knew that the hard headed Katie Holt would change her ruthless rules because of me" he teased.

Katie face slightly turned pink in embarrassment, "It's nothing like that. You should know that I am still considering her a suspect"

Lance glanced at her in disbelief, "Come on, Katie! She was completely distraught today. She couldn't even answer our questions properly" he reminded.

"Lance, come on. You know as well as I do that it is still a pretty common occurrence. You are forgetting how much the twins who killed their mother, were weeping during their interrogation"

"I never trusted their tears or story. In fact I was the one who told you that something was off about them but Allura really seemed genuine" he replied, still standing firmly to his point.

Katie sighed in defeat, in their partnership Lance was certainly the one better in reading people but his judgement did still get clouded with emotions at times.

"Fine, I believe you but I still can't take her off the suspect list. You know the rule" she reprimanded and Lance unwillingly nodded in agreement.

"So what's next?" he asked and Katie sighed rubbing her temple, there was nothing more she wanted then to drop dead on her bed but reality said otherwise.

"Well for starters we need to get the report done before 6pm. We have a meeting with Shiro and Iverson this evening to discuss the current progress of the case." Katie informed as Lance groaned in response.

"But I am so tired." He protested and Katie rolled her eyes at him. "Lance get serious. We are handling a very high profile case. A lot of people are counting on us" she reminded.

"I am with you on that but it doesn't mean we start neglecting our own health. We haven't even had the chance to have lunch yet " Lance retorted, crossing his arms against his chest.

When working with Pidge, one of his unofficial duties was to prevent her from becoming a workaholic zombie.

Katie opened her mouth to reply but before the argument could deflate or further escalate (something depending entirely on Katie's mood). A third member joined the pair.

"Hey guys!" James Griffin greeted, "How is the investigation going?" He asked the pair but his eyes were entirely trained onto Katie. Lance couldn't help but roll his eyes in annoyance _, how come this guy shows up everytime?_

Katie shook her head, still feeling frustrated by the lack of progress. "Slow very slow" she replied. 

James nodded sympathetically, patting her shoulder, "Don't worry, these cases are more complicated than usual but I am sure you'll soon be right on track," he assured.

"Also if you ever need any help. I could always lend a hand" he offered kindly.

"Don't you need to work on your own case?" Lance questioned dryly, not exactly feeling sorry for interrupting the _lovely conversation._

James looked at Lance partly surprised as if he had forgotten about Lance's presence,before replying. "Actually Ryan and I just ended our current case. It's a really sad one actually, a woman shot her own kids and then claimed some unknown man attacked them while she was on a night drive with her kids. It was an unlikely story from the beginning but it's still hard to believe a mother would ever hurt her children for any reason whatsoever. Really reminds me that you can't trust anyone" James sighed, shaking his head.

"We were just talking about it!" Katie exclaimed, taking more interest in the conversation. Katie and James shared a similar approach when it came to their investigations, both preferred to rely on the actions and facts and shared a high distrust for the people related to the case.

So there they were discussing 50 shades of family betrayal and as much as Lance would _love to_ stand there and be the awkward third wheel to their conversation, he was starving and in urgent need of some food so he decided to head out to grab some lunch.

He paused at the door and wearily eyed the brunette who was eagerly conversing with Katie, _James was a lot more intolerable on an empty stomach._

_______________________

"So what's with the long face?" Hunk finally questioned. Lance looked up from his food, his eyes wide with surprise.

Since lunch hour had already passed, Hunk's small restaurant was now mostly empty which gave him the opportunity to finally leave the stove and take a break while Shay handled the few remaining customers. 

"What are you talking about? I am fine." Lance replied quickly, taking another big bite of his burger to avoid further conversation. Hunk rolled his eyes, crossing his arms against his chest.

"It's no use lying to me. I have known you long enough to know when you're not fine. So tell me what happened?" He urged.

"Did you have another argument with Katie?" Hunk asked noticing her absence, he knew that Lance and Katie were working on another case together and it had become a norm for them to take a lunch break together at Hunk's.

Because of their frequent visits, Katie and Hunk had become good friends as well and now Hunk was feeling slightly offended that Katie hadn't come.

Lance shook his head, before speaking "It's about James"

"James?" Hunk mumbled, trying to remember if knew of such a person. The only thing he could vaguely think of was brief mention from Katie during one of their lunch breaks here.

"He is this guy.." Lance explained, "With whom Katie recently worked with on a case. Even after their case is over, he keeps buzzing around her all the time and it's so annoying" Lance commented.

Hunk smiled to himself before asking, "And why do you find it annoying?"

Lance groaned in frustration, "Because it feels like he is always trying to undermine me. He is always coming over to her, offering her help and tips as if I am one of the most incompetent partner ever. If he's such a great detective. Why doesn't he go around offering other people help as well?" he grumbled 

"I know he just wants to show Katie that he is a better partner than me!" he angrily ranted to the bemused Hunk. Despite his amusement, Hunk felt a strong urge to knock some sense into his oblivious friend's head.

"I think you are taking this too personally when the matter seems entirely different to me" Hunk calmly stated, trying to hold back his smile 

"What do you mean?" Lance questioned curiously. The amused smile finally slipped on Hunk's face, it was truly ironic that a _self_ _proclaimed love_ expert and _ladies man_ was this dense towards his own feelings.

"Well you see, Lance. According to normal social behavior when a guy is showing extra attention to a girl it usually means that he has a crush on her and wants to spend more time with her." Hunk explained with a pinch of sarcasm to his tone.

"What?!" Lance sputtered, nearly choking on his food. Hunk chose not to point out Lance's reaction in favor of his next statement.

"So technically speaking he doesn't really have anything personal with you. He most likely just has a crush on Katie and likes talking and spending time with her and since now you know all this,you shouldn't be bothered by this whole thing anymore." Hunk slyly teased. 

Lance remained oddly silent, as he tried to comprehend Hunk's words. Although the earlier misunderstanding was now mostly cleared, Lance still didn't feel much reassured about the situation.

He looked up from his plate to see Hunk's dark brown eyes fixed on him and the earlier easy smile was replaced by a more daring smirk as if he was challenging Lance with his on coming words.

"Or should you?" Hunk wondered. _______________________

"Hey" Katie greeted, briefly glancing up from the pile of paperwork. Lance nodded in reply, taking a seat opposite to her. He cleared a few documents and placed the paper bag containing food on the desk.

"I brought you lunch" he announced as Katie once again looked up and noticed the paper bag this time.

"I know eating isn't your number one priority but Hunk would be very offended if you let this delicious lunch he cooked for you go cold" Lance teased. 

"Thank you!" she gratefully exclaimed at the sight of food.

She quickly cleared away all the important paperwork from her desk and opened the paper bag. Lance smiled fondly as Katie let out a small squeal of delight, "You got peanut butter cookies too!"

"Yes but.." Lance reached over and plucked the smaller bag of peanut butter cookies from her hands. "You will only get to eat them when you have finished your lunch" he sternly stated, securing the bag of cookies away from her reach. 

Katie raised a brow at him, unamused. "Sometimes I feel like you are a spy that my parents hired to keep an eye on my eating habits"

Lance shrugged casually, picking up a file and flipping through the pages. "Think what you want to think but you aren't getting these cookies until you finish your lunch"

Much to his surprise Katie complied and without another protest starting eating her lunch while Lance ran through the information she had currently taken out.

Katie quickly wolfed down her food. Other than the fact Hunk's food was delicious as always, she had been starving but felt too drained to even move a muscle. After eating, she felt like she had been gifted a new life.

"Thanks again." she mumbled gratefully, Lance looked up from the reports and shot her a satisfied smile before finally handing her the cookies.

"You got a lot of work done while I was gone," he commented. Katie nodded, rubbing her temple in an exhausted manner, "I also got our meeting with Shiro and Iverson postponed to tomorrow." she informed much to Lance's relief.

"I figured we would have a lot more to report after the interview with Coran. I have been doing some research on him and turns out he is not just a _family friend._ He also worked for Alfor and you could practically call him Alfor's right hand man." 

"Do you think he could possibly be the one?" Lance questioned but Katie shook her head, taking a bite of her peanut butter cookie. 

"You would be surprised to hear but for some reason I am having my doubts on him being the killer. Although I think we might be able to get some useful information from him" she informed, offering the cookies to Lance.

"Hunk's cookies restore my faith in humanity" she joked to which Lance nodded, munching on his own cookie.

"How is he and Shay? It's been such a longtime since I visited them" Katie asked curiously, leaning forward to listen. It was a high time she took a small break.

"They are good as ever just very busy with planning the wedding and running the restaurant at the same time" he informed and Katie perked up hearing about the wedding plans.

"Have they decided a date yet? She questioned to which Lance nodded, "They wanted a spring wedding when the flowers are in full bloom. So they decided on 15 March"

"That's just three months away. We should try to help them out with the wedding planning. Shay's family lives in another city so they could probably use as much help as they can get." Katie suggested.

"What about _no distractions only focus on the_ _case_?" He teased but was secretly glad that Katie wanted to help out as well. Lance really enjoyed the rare times they hung out outside of work, she was a lot more relaxed and fun.

Katie playfully swatted at his hand, "Its Hunk and Shay. I think we can definitely make an exception for them. I'll just sleep three hours instead of five" she declared and despite the playful atmosphere, Lance couldn't help but stop and admire how loyal she was to her friends.

"I am sure they would be thrilled to hear that. Hunk was especially mad that you didn't come to see him today. It took a lot of effort to get those cookies from him." He informed.

"I'll call and apologize to him when I get home. It's just that I really got caught up in that conversation with James. He was sharing some pretty interesting details of his own case. It was a pretty confusing one like ours with hardly any suspects so I was hoping to pick up some techniques" she informed, opening the file she was recently working on again.

"How did that go?" he questioned, Katie suspiciously eyed for a second at him for his sudden interest before replying, "It was good. I think we talked about it for a good 20 minutes and then he asked if I wanted to check out the new coffee shop down the street…" she paused, biting another cookie as her eyes briefly glanced up from the file and met his. Her stare made chills run down his spine, the amber orbs studied him as if he was a bloody knife in a crime scene.

"I declined of course. We are already quite behind and I really can't afford to take coffee breaks" she nonchalantly added after a second, her eyes fixed on the file yet again.

"Oh" he mumbled. Hunk's earlier question rang in his mind. _Should he bothered?,_ of course not! He had then stated to Hunk. In fact as her friend, he should feel happy for her but then why was his throat tightening at the mere thought of it?

"Anyway…" she started, sitting up straighter in her chair which signaled the end of the break and back to work.

"After you go through the reports, head home and get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow" she informed, the easygoing look in her eyes was yet again replaced by professionalism.

Lance nodded, turning back to his work. A moment later, he looked up again and asked "What about you?"

"I'll be working a bit late today. I am searching for more potential suspects and there is someone who caught my eye" she replied.

Lance raised a brow, mildly amused. "And who is that lucky person?"

"Alfors former business partner Zarkon, problem is that I can hardly get any information about him. All I know is that they split about six months ago and since then there is no information of his whereabouts" She informed.

Lance crossed his arms and frowned in a thoughtful manner, "He does seem suspicious but then again these types of businessman are usually quite private about their lives and if they did legally split their business six months ago then what issue could possibly have arised that resulted in murder and how did it benefit Zarkon?"

"I can't really comment on the internal workings of their business but I do think Coran would prove quite useful tomorrow"

_______________________

"Are you sure you don't want anything" Coran offered in a formal manner but Katie politely refused in response. Lance felt a jab of sympathy for the middle aged man before them, he didn't look any better than the daughter herself. Despite his bright ginger hair and moustache, Coran look pale, washed out and exhausted as if he hadn't slept at all for the past few days.

"Can you please elaborate your relation with Mr Alfor?" Katie questioned in a soft tone. Coran nodded and began to speak, "Alfor and I had been friends since college. I have held a good relationship with his family and worked for him as well"

"I see and what can you tell me about his former business partner Mr Zarkon?" Katie asked and Lance noticed Coran turn paler and even look mildly surprised at the sudden mention but in a blink of an eye had regained his earlier posture.

"Alfor and Zarkon had been friends since grade school. Both of them came from influential and rich families and later on started a business together which proved to be very successful. They were business partners for more than 20 years until they stumbled upon a disagreement and parted their ways"

"Do you know what was the disagreement?" She asked and Coran shook his head, "Although Zarkon and I were on amicable terms. He was always an intensely private person and since he was Alfors closest friend. Alfor respected his wishes and never disclosed anything that went between them, not even the most terrible arguments so I remained unaware of the exact reason but I do know it started when Zarkon started heavily investing in something Alfor didn't entirely approve of "

Lance and Katie shared a meaningful before asking the next question, "Did Alfor and Zarkon maintain contact after separating their ways?"

"After their separation Zarkon and his wife left the country. For the first few months things were rough between them, I remember Alfor being very distressed. He considered Zarkon as his brother and felt lost without him but then after about 4 months Zarkon contacted him again" Coran revealed, pausing for a moment.

"And then?" Lance asked, unable to contain his curiosity. Coran inhaled sharply before continuing, "Again I don't know what exactly was going on but I do know that Alfor was helping Zarkon with some funding for his new investment. I could tell Alfor wasn't much onboard with this idea but he was doing in a desperate attempt to maintain his friendship with Zarkon." 

"Of course there is a limit to everything and eventually Alfor refused to financially help him out anymore. That's where the big problem started. Alfor and Zarkon owned a joint account in which either party could withdraw money without the others permission. Although Zarkon had withdrawn his share of the money at the time of their split. Alfor hadn't closed that account and he was so emotionally distraught at the time, I didn't have the heart to push him to do it but Zarkon took advantage of that and drew out a large amount of money from that account" Coran paused, trying to ease his racing heart as he uttered his next words, "Two weeks later, Alfor and his wife were dead.."

Coran started coughing violently, grabbing a glass of water which had been resting at his side and chugged it down in one go. Katie and Lance shared a sympathetic look, although the interrogation was useful. It was certainly taking a big toll on Coran, he looked more worn out than before so they agreed to currently end it there.

"Anything else?" Coran questioned in a hoarse voice to which Katie shook her head. 

"That would be enough for today. Thank you for your help. We will contact you again for more information. Have a good day" she bade, ending the interview.

________________________

"So it's obvious now that Zarkon is our prime suspect." Iverson declared after hearing the report.

Shiro nodded, "It seems quite a classic case but the problem is that we lack evidence and Zarkon is still missing. Did Coran tell where he could have been gone?" 

Katie shook her head, "Zarkon is better at covering the tracks then I expected. I have another concern as well to the case, if Zarkon is the potential killer and he coldly murdered his childhood best friend for money. I think it would be better even if for precautionary measure we provide some security to both Allura and Coran but not just anyone. Someone we can entirely trust on"

Shiro nodded, "There is no one better for such jobs then Keith and Kolivan. I'll get them immediately. Lance, you can introduce Keith to Allura while I'll do the same for Coran" he ordered and Lance nodded.

"As for tracking Zarkon's location. It would be useless till we don't have solid evidence. Till then I suggest you keep searching for proofs and more potential suspects. That's all for today" Iverson stated, leaving the room.

"You two are doing a great job together. Keep it up" Shiro encouraged before heading out as well. 

Katie watched Shiro disappear out of the door before nudging Lance, who had stayed almost silent during the entire meeting. "What's up with you?"

Lance sat up straighter in his chair, there was a sober look in his ocean blue eyes that made her feel concerned.

"I feel like we are missing something" Lance shared. "I do think we have locked onto the right suspect but I think the murder isn't the true crime Zarkon is guilty of."

"What do you mean?" Katie asked, leaning closer. Lance pointed to the newspaper cut out picture of Zarkon and Alfor with their spouses taken at some charity event a few years back.

"Look at how genuinely happy they look around each other. Their friendship reminds me of the one I have with Hunk. These two were practically brothers and I find it hard to believe that any amount of money would result to this. So there was definitely something more at stake."

Katie's eyes widened in realization, "You don't think it could be related to the Q drugs ring?"

Lance shrugged, "It is possible. Not only is Zarkon a shady character but also Coran kept mentioning that it was something Alfor didn't approve of and apparently it was a big enough problem to destroy their decades long friendship."

"Why didn't you tell them all this?" She asked getting excited at the new discovery.

"Because it's pure speculation right now. We don't have any proof and you know Iverson doesn't listen to anything without a solid base." Lance reminded and Katie frowned in agreement, props to Iverson for being the most difficult man in the world.

She glanced at her watch and groaned, "Better stop this conversation for now. Lance after meeting with Allura, try to find more information on Zarkon and his activities. We will discuss this more at dinner"

Lance nodded before asking, "And what are you gonna do?"

Katie grimaced, quickly packing her stuff "I am late for Shay's dress fitting appointment"

________________________

"Shay, I am so so sorry" Katie mumbled in her phone, as she navigated through the crowded mall.

 _Why was it so crowded on a Thursday afternoon?_ She groaned in annoyed manner, as she dodged two running kids from toppling her over.

"Are you going to be here soon?" Shay asked from the other end, her voice was shaky with nervousness.

"Yes! yes! I am going to be there soon. I am in the mall, the elevator was full so I am going to take the escala-AAAAH!" she screamed as she bumped into someone and fell on the floor, by some miracle her phone had a lighter fall as it bounced off her and then fell beside her on the ground.

Katie looked up to see her culprit, he was still standing and in fact looked hardly phased by the crash."Ow!" she grumbled to herself still lying on the ground. She had a few choice words for the stupid tall man.

"I am so sorry!" he cried out embarrassed, gently grabbing her hand and pulling her off the ground.

"Are you alright? I am so sorry. I really didn't see you." he apologized once again and it took a moment for Katie to realize how really tall the man was which was saying something considering the fact that 80 percent of people around her were taller and now tall people didn't phase her anymore but this man was in a league of his own. Standing next to him Katie felt like a dwarf.

Other than his height his other features made him stand out like a sore thumb as well, he had platinum blonde hair and was wearing what looked like a designer black suit to the mall.

"It's alright" she assured and the man smiled in relief, seeing the smile made her feel like she was having a deja vu. His features looked familiar but she couldn't point out who they belonged to but she had a strong feeling that she had seen those sharp eyes and confident smile before.

"I am Pidge by the way" she said, stretching out her hand for him to shake. It didn't matter that she couldn't remember right now but she wasn't letting this man go without his name.

He looked surprised at the sudden gesture but complied, shaking her hand in response. 

"My name is Lotor"

__________________________

"Thank you so much for coming with me today. I really didn't have the nerves to go through this appointment alone especially when the seamstress refused to do the alterations. I felt like I was about to cry" Shay shared and Katie reassuringly patted the taller woman's back.

"I am just glad that I could help you out and I have to say, seeing the look of defeat on her face really brightened up my day" She reminded and the two women laughed at the memory.

Katie sighed in exhaustion, rubbing her temples. Her head was aching, she really hadn't had a moment to spare during the entire day. Shay noticed this as well, "I am so sorry you had such a long day because of me" she apologized.

Katie smiled softly, "It's fine. I really enjoyed it besides I am not that tired" she tried to assure but the truth was she was ready to drop dead any second.

Hunk's restaurant had now come into sight and before entering Shay turned to Katie,"You must be starving after such a long day. Let me get you something to eat" she offered, handing her bags to Katie and then disappearing into the kitchen.

Since it was around dinner time, the restaurant was filled with various customers. Katie's eyes scanned the crowded room till she spotted Lance sitting at the corner booth, his head was bent low as he carefully went through an old newspaper.

"Hi" Katie mumbled tiredly, putting the shopping bags on the table and then took a seat beside Lance. He looked up from his work and grinned at her. "Hey!" he chirped in response, noticing the bags "What's with the bags?" he questioned.

"Shay did a little shopping while waiting for me" Katie answered. "So how did the dress fitting go?" he questioned next.

Katie groaned, resting her head on Lance's shoulder. "It was so long. We could have been done so much earlier if the seamstress wasn't such a stubborn ass. She had made the sleeves too tight and when Shay asked her to loosen them up and make it a bit more comfortable. The seamstress refused to do so and that's when I had to step in and then we argued for like half an hour before she finally agreed. I can still hear her stupid shrilly voice in my head"

Lance chuckled, gently patting her head. "As much as the devil the seamstress sounds. I have to admire her bravery for arguing with you for half an hour. You can be so terrifying when you're angry" he teased.

Katie raised her head from his shoulder, "That's not true," she stated indignantly. "When have I been scary to you?" she questioned to which Lance blinked at her in disbelief.

"Katie, you have got me doing work in my free time!" he reminded, gesturing towards the old newspapers and articles he had been going through before she came.

"Not even my mom could make me do my homework till she didn't bring out the sandal" Lance gulped at the distant memory, Katie looked at him in a bemused manner.

"Fine" she smirked slyly to herself, "Since I am such a terrifying person then I suppose you wouldn't be interested in having these garlic knots I got for you" she teased, producing a small bag of garlic knots she had hidden behind Shay's stuff.

"They are from your favorite food stall. I was passing by it and thought it might be a good surprise for you but it looks like I would have to eat them by myself" she whispered, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Now..now Katie, you know how I love to joke around. You shouldn't ever take what I say seriously. I am a goofball, remember?" 

Katie nodded thoughtfully, "That is true.."

Lance grinned, finding some hope."Will you now give me the garlic knots? Please?" he pleaded.

"No" Katie replied cheekily, shaking her head.

"Oh come on!" Lance groaned.

  
  


Shay smiled at the sight from afar as she handed out the orders for table 5 to the waiter. Glancing one last time at the pair still playfully fighting over the garlic knots, she then joined her fiance back in the kitchen.

"They look so cute together" she commented to Hunk who smiled, "Only from afar they look cute. When you talk to them, their obliviousness will make you want to tear your hair out"

"It is surprising that they still haven't noticed their feelings even though it's so obvious that they adore each other. Just today, Katie waited fifteen minutes in line to get those garlic knots for Lance. She mentioned that those were his favorite, I found it adorable that she remembered such small details about him" Shay shared and Hunk shook his head.

"That's Katie and Lance for you. They will make lovey dovey eyes at each other when the other isn't looking." he commented.

"I really hope they realize their feelings soon. Wouldn't it be amazing, if they start dating by the time of our wedding?" Shay sighed dreamily, Hunk chuckled at his fiance's imagination.

"They will get together when it's the right time but I hope it's soon. I really don't want to be bald by the time of their wedding" Hunk mumbled, imagining himself as a bald best man and then shuddering at the thought.

Shay giggled, kissing his cheek. "Don't worry honey, we will get you a nice wig for their wedding"

Hunk chuckled, handing the plate with Katie's pasta to Shay. She was just about to head out of the door again when suddenly her phone started ringing. Hunk watched as Shay's brows furrowed reading the caller's name, "It's the manager of the venue for our reception" she mumbled, confused.

"So how was Allura today?" Katie questioned, casually flipping through one of the older newspapers. 

"Well she looked more composed than before. I told her that we were providing security just for a precautionary measure and there wasn't really anything to worry about. She remained calm during the whole thing and readily agreed to security without much protest" Lance informed.

Katie nodded, "That's a good thing. I was thinking about paying her visit tomorrow since Zarkon was a close member of the family maybe she could give us more information about him"

"That would be a good idea. How come I didn't think of it?" he wondered. "Probably because you got lost in her eyes" Katie commented snarkily, much to her amusement Lance's eyes sparked up in annoyance.

"I used that only one time! and we weren't even on duty then. How long do you plan to hold it against me?" he questioned, feeling slightly annoyed by Katie's constant teasing over that incident.

"Till the end of time" she replied proudly, crossing her arms against her chest. To her surprise, Lance didn't get further irritated by the statement instead he smiled coolly, crossing his arms as well to mirror her pose.

"You certainly have high expectations for our relationship," he asked, leaning closer to her. The predator became the prey and it was now Katie's turn to be flustered, her cheeks turned slightly pink and her tired eyes became more alert.

"I-I didn't mean it like that!" she stuttered, Lance calmly raised a brow in response. "Like what?" he questioned innocently, enjoying this a little too much but Katie's flustration didn't last, her eyes dangerously narrowed and the amusement from Lance's face faltered when he realized he was about to receive the punch of the century but thankfully his loyal friends Hunk and Shay arrived just in time for his rescue.

"Is everything alright?" Katie asked immediately, noticing the panicked look in their eyes. The couple hesitated, sharing a wordless conversation between them before turning back to their friends.

"We would first like to say" Shay started, "There is no pressure from our side. We know how busy that two of you are and we completely understand if you decline"

"What happened?" Lance asked feeling more confused than ever. Hunk sighed taking a seat opposite to them and Shay followed.

"We just got a call from the manager of the venue where our reception was supposed to be held. There had been some misunderstanding and long story short, we need to find a new place but the thing is we really need to immediately start searching there isn't much time left." Hunk explained.

"Okay.." Katie mumbled still not following. She shot Lance a curious look and he simply shrugged being as clueless as her in the matter.

"We have to start searching for a new place tomorrow but the thing is we had our appointment with the florist tomorrow as well and we really don't have the time to delay that too so... we were wondering if you two could go take the florist appointment" Shay shyly suggested.

Katie and Lance shared a hesitant look as they mentally tallied their schedule for the next day.

"It's alright if you guys can't do it. We completely understand. We'll just find another solution!" Shay quickly added not wanting to burden her friends.

Lance shook his head and smiled, "That's alright. We'll manage it" he assured. Katie nodded as well, "Lance's right. Go look for another venue and leave the florist to us"

"Thank you so much!" Shay shouted gratefully, going over and engulfing Katie into a tight bear hug. Lance laughed when Katie yelped in surprise and he then glanced towards Hunk who wasn't laughing but instead there was soft smile gracing on his face and looked a bit teary eyed.

"Thank you" Hunk mouthed to Lance.

Lance simply smiled in response, "Anything for you bud" he whispered back.

_________________________

"As much as I love Hunk and Shay. I find myself regretting this" Katie commented as they got out of the car.

"Oh come on. Just think how happy this made them, we in a way saved their wedding" Lance encouraged.

"If Iverson finds where we actually are, We won't actually live to see the wedding." she reminded and Lance gulped, just imagining what a fit he would throw.

"Don't worry. Shiro promised he would cover for us" Lance assured but Katie looked hardly comforted, "Oh yes! Let's drag Shiro to the grave as well" she cheered sarcastically, pushing the door open.

"Whoa!" Lance whispered in amazement, the air was filled with the gentle scent of various colorful flowers which decorated almost every inch of the shop. He had gone to the florist only a handful of times, accompanying his mother to buy flowers for weddings, engagements or other events but he can safely say that this shop certainly topped any other. It felt as if they were standing in some magical forest in a fairy tale.

"Where is the florist ?" Katie nudged him out of his fantasy. He frowned in response noticing the empty counter.

"Sorry! Can you please wait a second. We are just finishing lunch!" a voice called out suddenly, it belonged to a middle aged woman who poked her head out of the back door of the store.

"Uh...sure" Lance responded and the woman disappeared back inside.

"Every second of their lunch brings our funeral dinner closer. We should probably order the flowers for our funeral as well " she muttered taking out her phone to go through the instructions Shay had sent her.

Lance rolled his eyes, Katie could hardly call him dramatic when she was currently a walking theater herself. His eyes roamed around the shop, still fascinated by the beautiful flowers till he noticed a stray rose, probably fallen from bouquet lying on the floor.

"For you!" he offered grandly, hoping to distract Katie's mind from their impending death. It surely caught her off guard and her brows raised up in surprise but instead of rolling her eyes and scoffing at his lack of seriousness (One of Katie's favorite activities when they initially started working together).

Katie eyed the frail rose in an unimpressed manner, her eyes then slowly traveled from the rose towards his face. Her bright amber gaze remained fixated on him which started to make Lance feel nervous. 

Katie's lips curled into a smile as she stepped closer to him, "Come on Lance, if you really wanted to get me flowers. Get me those " she coolly whispered, pointing to a large rose bouquet resting on one of the shelves.

Katie, mischievously winked at him before finally walking away to be near the counter. Leaving behind a stunned Lance with bright red cheeks. Katie smirked in satisfaction, having finally taken her revenge. This appointment was going better than expected.

______________________

"So the bride wants yellow roses in her bouquet?" the florist Marlene confirmed making her notes.

Katie nodded, smiling "It's her fiance's favorite color and she insistent to have yellow roses added"

"That so adorable" Marlene awed, "Working for such couples always make my job more worthwhile! and now for the bridesmaid's bouquets I was thinking…" 

Katie didn't catch her next words for her eyes were caught on the blue eyed man who had recently wandered off from her side and was now busy talking to Marlene's assistant a blonde girl about their age named Donna.

They looked deep in discussion about something, Lance doing most of the talking while Donna nodding attentively. She felt a spark of irritation and Katie thought if nothing she should have the jealousy department down by now _since Lance flirted left and right and half the time he wasn't even serious_ but that was not stopping her from making the world's most pathetic and unrequited crush more obvious. Begrudgingly, she turned back to Marlene who was now asking about the number of flower crowns she had to make.

"17?" Marlene asked in surprise to which Katie nodded, not wanting to further elaborate on it but Marlene clearly seemed interested to know.

"Yes it's going to be a pretty big wedding since both sides have big families." she informed half halfheartedly, her attention still diverted towards the pair. Her ears pricked up at the distant laughter shared by the two and it was an understatement to say that she was annoyed by Lance's antics, she was positively furious at him.

All the stupid one liners aside, how dare he leave her with all the work when he had preached about importance of friends helping each other during their entire car ride! 

_At least she had a good enough excuse to stay mad at him,_ she said finding the silver lining in the clouds.

"And then I was thinking.." Marlene said snapping her back into reality. Katie forced a small smile as they continued the discussion much to her relief, the appointment ended shortly after and she finally got the long awaited opportunity to leave.

She said goodbye to Marlene and was almost about to call Lance, who was still standing near the counter even though Donna had disappeared in the back a few minutes ago but instead she chose not to call him. _He can come out whenever he descends from cloud nine,_ she decided _._

Katie waited outside, she was leaning against the car with her arms crossed and her icy glare was fixed at the ground. Her ears pricked as the door of the shop opened and the familiar pair of footsteps stepped outside.

Katie rolled her eyes, "Finally! I thought I would have to leave you at the store" she mumbled in an annoyed manner, looking up from the ground to face him but the sight got the next row of snarky comments erased from her brain.

Katie stood there stunned for a second, her brows raised and her fell mouth slightly open as if she wanted to say something but her brain was too short circuited to function.

After a moment she finally managed to gather enough nerves to ask, "Lance. What the hell?" she hissed at the man who was holding a gigantic rose bouquet towards her.

Lance chuckled, his laughter was slightly ringed with nervousness. "Come on, weren't these the ones you wanted" he slyly insisted, quickly thrusting the bouquet in her hands.

Two older ladies passed by them and giggled at the sight, "Such a cute couple" one commented not so discreetly to the other. Hearing that made Katie's cheeks turned even redder than the roses and to her surprise, Lance wasn't a much different sight.

His earlier confident demeanor had cowered into a more shyer version. Lance had now stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket, a nervous habit of his and Katie hoped she was imagining the light shade of pink dusting on his cheeks as his eyes darted everywhere except meeting hers. 

"Don't tell me this is what you were up to earlier?" Katie guessed, trying to dispel the sudden awkwardness between them after all they still had to spend ten minutes in the car together.

"Of course, why else would I be talking to Donna?" he supplied. Katie had a few guesses for that but at the moment didn't care to say them instead she focused on the flowers she had been tightly gripping on. 

They were certainly a lot, her brain was still not enough in order to count the exact number but they looked around to be two dozen blood red colored roses.

Lance noticed Katie keenly observing the flowers and so he shyly added, "A few of the roses in the bouquet you pointed out had started to wilt so I thought it would be better to get a new one made for you" he whispered, scratching the back of his neck.

The little addition made her heart melt for some reason, she had a strong urge to cup his red cheeks and kiss him which was ironic considering she had a stronger urge to kill him a few minutes earlier.

That was the power Lance Serrano had on her, making her feel the whole spectrum of human emotions within mere seconds.

"Thank you" she whispered for an unknown reason. Lance had known she was just pulling his leg when she had asked for the flowers and he surely had bought them to return the teasing but it in between the whole teasing something sincere had also entered the exchange.

Lance nodded, his eyes finally meeting hers and as always his emotions lied there unmasked. You didn't need to see his mouth to notice his smile, happiness was radiating from his eyes as they crinkled at the corners.

He reached out to her and Katie's breath slightly hitched as his tanned fingers neared her face, Lance gently pushed back a strand that had fallen on her eyes. His fingers for a second indecisively hovered over her face and for a heart stopping moment, Katie thought he was going to caress her cheek but instead he reached over and ruffled her hair.

It was an old platonic gesture for them and Katie as usual, swatted his hand away pretending to be annoyed by it but the truth was very far from it.

The sweet moment didn't last that long as Lance's phone started angrily buzzing. He took it out and sighed, "We should head back now. This is the fourth angry message Shiro has sent" Lance informed to which Katie nodded and the two of them started getting back in the car.

As Katie placed the bouquet in the back seat of the car, she spared one last glance to the beautiful flowers and smiled to herself. _Sure her crush was still pathetic but only a handful of people can claim to get a double dozen roses from their crush._


	2. The past pays a visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I am surprised to see you here" he commented, offering his hand for her to shake. Katie's eyes briefly narrowed, at the gesture. It felt as if her game was now being played against her, Keith was shooting her questioning looks but she was too distracted to respond at the moment.
> 
> "I can say the same" she replied simply, shaking his hand. Lotor's eyes keenly observed her, patiently waiting for her to say something more but Katie was determined to remain tight lipped. Keith had sensed the tense atmosphere and now hovered protectively beside her, occasionally throwing Lotor a suspicious glare.
> 
> Lotor hardly seemed bothered by the fact and the easygoing smile remained plastered on his face. "Well then I better get going, it was nice meeting you again" he stated and Katie nodded, giving him a brief smile.
> 
> Lotor then smiled and waved goodbye to Keith who greeted it with a scowl before walking towards the door but instead of leaving, Lotor paused, his hand hovering over the door's handle as he turned towards Katie once more.  
> "Well goodbye for now. Perhaps we will meet again, Pidge."

**_Flashback._ **

" _Agrhgh! ARGH! " a blood curdling scream rang through the darkened hallways in the dead of the night. The woman cried out in pain yet again, clutching onto her enlarged abdomen as cold sweat dribbled down her chin._

_"Zarkon! Give me..me the medicine!" she cried out, panting heavily as her husband's hands protectively hovered over her. Her husband glanced unsurely at their bedside table which contained the painkillers._

_"Honvera, my dearest. The doctor said-"_

_"I don't care what the doctor said!" she screeched, her eyes widened as the pain increased, causing her to double over in agony._

_"Please give..it to me!" She whispered, mustering all her strength. Zarkon winced at the sight of his wife, withering in pain as her arms further tightened around her abdomen. He could no longer stand the sight so abandoning the doctor's advice, he violently opened the drawer and grabbed a syringe along with the medicine._

_"Please honey, just withstand it a little longer" Zarkon whispered, filling the syringe with the medicine. The doctor's words echoed for the last time in his head but Zarkon was helpless, he loved Honvera more than life itself and he couldn't stand to see her suffering._

_"Hold still" he mumbled, making her sit up straighter. Honvera nodded, sniffing back her tears and she inhaled sharply, managing to gather enough strength to fight the pain which was growing to be unbearable with every second so that her husband could inject the needle in her arm._

_The medicine was known to work in a matter of seconds and soon enough Honvera gasped in relief as the blinding pain faded from her body. She slumped against her husband still breathing heavily and Zarkon protectively wrapped an around her._

_"I am sorry" he whispered, the guilt evident in his eyes. "If I ever knew this would be the cost you would have to pay for us to have a child. I would have never considered ever having one. You are more important to me"_

_Honvera managed to give him a small smile,_

_"Despite everything... I don't regret this " she whispered fondly, rubbing her stomach_.

_________________________

"Pidge, I always considered you my friend but you have betrayed me in the worst way possible. How are you ever gonna face me tomorrow?" Lance questioned. Katie rolled her eyes, for a split second she even considered ending the call.

"Lance, if you actually did the work I gave you instead of arguing with me. You would be done with it in an hour" Katie chided, trying to keep her focus on the road. 

Lance grumbled on the other end, "You do know that I don't have your brains to be done with all of this work in an hour besides I thought you might actually go easy on me today" he mumbled the last part causing a sly smile to tug on Katie's lips.

"Oh really why is that?" she questioned, briefly glancing at the rose bouquet lying in the backseat of her car. 

"I don't recall today being your birthday" she teased, taking a right turn.

"As if you would have spared me on my birthday. I swear Katie, if my beautiful dark hair starts graying in my twenties. It will be all your fault!" Lance accused.

"I'll survive the guilt" Katie assured.Imagining Lance's frustration made her sad, she really wished she was in person to enjoy the sight.

There was a long pause on the other end and Katie rolled her eyes, this wouldn't be the first time, Lance left without ending the call and she was about to end it herself when he suddenly spoke up again.

"So are you coming over to Hunk's for dinner after talking to Allura?" he asked.

"Not today.I am really tired and probably will have dinner at home" she replied as Lance scoffed on the other end.

"What exactly are you intending to burn tonight?" Lance mused. Katie's eyes lit up in irritation, she really should have just left him to catch a cold than letting him come to her apartment that night.

"I think I can manage instant noodles... besides they don't pay you to chat with me. Get back to work. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Goodbye" she bade as Allura's mansion came into view.

Lance chuckled, "Alright bye. Remember to put the roses in a nice vase!" he cheekily added, quickly ending the call.

Katie had a strong urge to call him again and threaten to stuff him in a vase but instead she took a deep breath, turning her focus back to the mission at hand. _After all they weren't paying her to play cat and mouse with Lance either._

Katie exited the car and walked towards the gate where she raised her id card that hung loosely around her neck to one of the guards, the guard nodded and opened the gate, allowing her to go inside. As she stepped inside the beautiful yet lonely mansion, she found none other than her friend Keith, standing at the foot of the staircase looking intensely bored.

"Hey!" She greeted excitedly, she hadn't exactly gotten an opportunity to see Keith for the past two months as he had just recently returned from another international training course.

Keith's bored pout converted into a smile and the two friends shared a brief hug. 

"How was the training?" she questioned to which Keith smirked, "Well all I can say is that I have a new title to add my collection"

Katie patted his shoulder in praise and that's when Keith's sharp eyes noticed something odd about his friend, "Why do you have rose petals stuck to your jacket sleeve?" he questioned.

Katie's face slightly turned red, as she quickly plucked the blood red color petals from her sleeve, "Lance and I had to go to the florist to help out with a friend's wedding. I guess they got stuck from there" she laughed nervously but the blush dusting on her cheeks refused to fade.

"I see..." Keith whispered but he didn't feel satisfied by the answer. 

"Anyway where is Miss Allura?" Katie asked, changing the topic. Keith pointed towards the first floor, "She is upstairs in the drawing room. An old friend has come to visit and she has requested privacy" Keith repeated his orders.

"I guess I might have to wait a bit.." Katie mumbled to herself. Keith noticed that his friend was still holding the petals and instead of discarding them in the nearby waste bin. 

Katie slipped those stray petals in the pocket of her jacket.

"How is your job going?" She asked and Keith groaned in exhaustion. "Very uneventful. The only thing I have been doing is monitoring the few friends or distant relatives coming to visit her for condolence and all of them looked pretty harmless." Keith commented. 

"But the weird thing is that she didn't make me leave the room when they were around. Only when the super tall guy came, she told me to wait downstairs. Perhaps he's her boyfriend?" Keith suggested but Katie shook her head.

"When we interviewed her. She told us that she wasn't or hadn't been in any serious relationship. Boyfriend, fiance or husbands of a rich heiress make good suspects." Katie reminded, biting her lip. 

Keith shrugged, "Potential boyfriend?" he mused and Katie let out a small giggle.

"You know people as single as us can't really comment on other people's relationship status" she retorted. 

Keith chuckled, opening his mouth to give a snarky reply but it was cut off by the sound of footsteps now slowly descending the stairs. The pair turned around to face the person in question and Katie's face paled at the sight of the _very tall man._ He looked no different from before. His perfect hair that would even make Lance envious was tied behind in a stylish ponytail and he was dressed yet in another designer suit. The man, _Lotor_ was occupied on his phone and still hadn't noticed her much to her relief.

But then again her relief was short lived as he looked up mere seconds later and immediately his calm expression twisted into a shocked one.

Keith raised his brows, feeling utterly confused. What was actually going on? Did Katie know the very tall man?

Lotor didn't let himself be caught off guard for too long and his face soon relaxed as he smiled in her direction. Katie tried to mirror his expression and moved towards him at acknowledgement as he finally reached the bottom of the stairs.

"I am surprised to see you here" he commented, offering his hand for her to shake. Katie's eyes briefly narrowed, at the gesture. It felt as if her game was now being played against her, Keith was shooting her questioning looks but she was too distracted to respond at the moment.

"I can say the same" she replied simply, shaking his hand. Lotor's eyes keenly observed her, patiently waiting for her to say something more but Katie was determined to remain tight lipped. Keith had sensed the tense atmosphere and now hovered protectively beside her, occasionally throwing Lotor a suspicious glare.

Lotor hardly seemed bothered by the fact and the easygoing smile remained plastered on his face. "Well then I better get going, it was nice meeting you again" he stated and Katie nodded, giving him a brief smile.

Lotor then smiled and waved goodbye to Keith who greeted it with a scowl before walking towards the door but instead of leaving, Lotor paused, his hand hovering over the door's handle as he turned towards Katie once more.

"Well goodbye for now. Perhaps we will meet again, _Pidge._ "

Despite the friendly tone, the statement felt more of a threat. Katie couldn't help feel paranoid about the fact that he somewhat called her name mockingly but she didn't get the opportunity to ponder on it for too long because Keith immediately sprang up with his own questions. 

"What the hell just happened?" he hissed angrily.

"Long story. I will tell you later" Katie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she slowly made her way upstairs with Keith tailing behind. There were a thousand things running through her mind. She now has figured why she had found those sharp eyes and confident smile so familiar. They belonged to none other but Zarkon's wife _Honvera,_ she was known to be quite a genius and an ambitious woman of her time who played an active part in her husband's business and if Katie's brief knowledge of genetics was correct then he must be Honvera and Zarkon's infamous son.

She had insisted Lance to get whatever information he could get about the prime suspect and his family but much to their frustration,there was a thick layer of mystery surrounding the family. Lance had spent hours investigating various websites and even hunting through old newspapers and articles but unfortunately the effort had proved to be fruitless.

As they reached the first floor, Katie absentmindedly followed Keith to the drawing room. She shook her head in a vain attempt to clear her mind, she wasn't going to let such a small setback get to her. Lotor's calm confident smile flashed in her mind and she gritted her teeth. She hated how easily he had come to visit Allura after all the pain his family had caused hers. No matter what happens, she and Lance will get to the bottom of this!

"Officer Holt. I am sorry to have kept you waiting" Allura apologized, appearing at the doorway. Katie noticed that Allura looked more put together than before, she was wearing a navy blue suit and her hair was pulled back in a professional looking ponytail.

"Going somewhere?" Katie inquired and Allura nodded. "I have an appointment with Uncle Coran in an hour but I can delay it." Allura suggested.

Katie shook her head, "Don't worry, this won't take long. I just need to ask a few important questions"

_______________________

**Flashback**

" _Alfor, Zarkon's secretary has clearly stated that he doesn't want to meet anyone. We should probably go meet him later" Coran suggested, trying to keep up his friend/ boss's pace but Alfor in return stubbornly shook his head._

_"Nonsense! I am his best friend. He won't mind me coming over to see him!" Alfor replied, pausing outside Zarkon's office._

_He gently knocked but instead of waiting for a reply, Alfor opened the door and went inside followed by a reluctant Coran._

_"Can we come in?" Alfor playfully questioned his friend. Zarkon smiled faintly, looking up from his computer, "I think it's a bit late to ask that question.."_

_Zarkon rose from his seat to give his friend a welcoming hug and then smiled in acknowledgement at Coran. "Weren't you supposed to come back on Thursday?" he questioned to which Alfor smiled fondly._

_"It's all Allura's doing" Alfor stated proudly. Zarkon's brows rose up in amusement, it was quite evident that Alfor adored his three year old daughter and always wanted to share anything related to her. "And what did she do this time?" he wondered._

_Alfor chuckled, Coran and he shared a brief smile before he started narrating his story to Zarkon. "She has been driving Melenor crazy ever since I left for the trip. She constantly wants to talk to me on the phone and yesterday she refused to eat her dinner till I didn't come home. After hearing that, I couldn't help but take the first flight back home. Luckily Coran was able to sort out the remaining things before we came back"_

_Zarkon's smile fell into a frown and he slumped back in his chair. "This is all my fault" he commented, the guilt that had been tugging onto his heart for many days had risen yet again. Zarkon knew that he was taking advantage of his best friend's kindness and it was costing his friend precious time away from his family. He knew how much Alfor wanted to spend more time with his daughter but for Zarkon's sake, Alfor was even currently dealing with his share of work._

_"No it isn't!" Alfor was quick to object. Zarkon smiled at his friend's stubborn loyalty but he was quite determined as well, "I don't wanna argue with you on this again so it's decided that I will be the one going for the meeting in Olkari" he sternly stated._

_Alfor sighed in a defeated manner, "Fine if you are up to it but it's no pressure if you change your mind. I can take over, I already have planned my schedule around it "_

_"There won't be any need for that. You spend time with your family and speaking of which, why are you at work? You should be at home with Melenor and Allura. I have everything under control here"_

_"Really?" Alfor mused. "Then why is everyone banned from your office?" he questioned, crossing his arms against his chest._

_Coran,who was still standing meekly in the corner, couldn't help but admire Alfor's bravery. He was perhaps the only one who could easily confront Zarkon.Even after countless years of knowing him, Coran couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated by him. In contrast to Alfor's bright and easy going personality, Zarkon was reserved and quiet in nature, standing at 6'5 he easily towered almost everyone which didn't exactly help in making him look more approachable._

_Zarkon sighed at Alfor's question, rubbing his temple in an exhausted manner. Coran couldn't help notice the dark circles underneath Zarkon's eyes seemed deeper than before._

_"Did something happen? Are you alright?" Alfor worriedly asked. Even Coran in concern, inched closer to his desk. Zarkon took a deep breath as if he was recollecting his thoughts and finally after a few seconds began to speak._

_"I am fine but it's Honvera, she-" only a few words had left Zarkon's mouth when he stopped abruptly much to the confusion of the other two men. Zarkon briefly glanced at Alfor shooting him a meaningful look._

_Alfor immediately caught the meaning and turned to Coran, awkwardly clearing his throat._

_"Coran, would you mind giving us a moment?" he asked, forcing a polite smile on his face._

_"Of course!" Coran hastily nodded, his cheeks slightly flushed with embarrassment as he shuffled out of the room. Just as he was about to close the door, his ears pricked at the muffled sound of the discussion continuing._

_Even though curiosity intrigued him, Coran simply shook his head. Since Zarkon didn't want to include him then clearly it wasn't his place to know._

**________________________**

"I hate this case!" Katie declared with passionate anger. Lance winced as she aggressively cut the stem of the rose before placing it in the water filled vase.

He glanced at his watch, it was almost half past nine. What was he doing at his co-workers apartment at half past nine? Katie had messaged him to come over for an urgent meeting with a nice vase.

"Katie, things are just going a little slow.." he tried to assure but immediately regretted it as Katie's head snapped in his direction.

"Slow?! Lance we are going round and round in circles! I thought I could get a link to Zarkon through his son but no! Allura told me that they haven't been in contact for years. What is wrong with his man?!" Katie cried out in frustration, snipping another stem. 

"Well frankly speaking, if everything was right with him. He wouldn't have been the biggest suspect in the case" Lance cheekily stated much to Katie's annoyance.

"Anyway, did Allura give you any particular reason for their estranged relationship?" Lance questioned. There was a brief pause at Katie's end before she shook her head.

"I didn't ask.." Katie meekly replied, glaring at the vase, instead of making eye contact with him.

"Why?" Lance wondered, sitting up straighter. The amusement had disappeared from his face as he carefully inspected her, patiently waiting for her to give an answer. Katie continued cutting the stems, trying to ignore Lance's intense questioning gaze but failed miserably.

"I-I just couldn't take it any further..." she finally whispered, her fingers slightly shaking as she placed another rose in the vase. "Allura was getting curious on why I was asking so many questions about Zarkon and Lotor. She is still in a fragile mental state and even though Zarkon is our prime suspect. I don't want to tell her that her father's best friend is her parent's killer until it's absolutely proven. This scenario just kept reminding me of when Matt..got killed and.." she shuddered, unable to continue anymore and Lance quickly pulled her in a protective embrace. 

"I understand" he whispered, rubbing her back in a comforting manner. Katie clung onto him tightly, she didn't cry but was shaking like a leaf. She always acted so brave that Lance sometimes forgot how much her past still haunted her, Lance was only 19 when Matthew Holt had been found stabbed to death in an old alley. It was heard by all and many suspects had been taken in consideration, including a very unlikely one, Matt's best friend and fellow co-worker Takashi Shirogane who had been the last one to be seen with him. Eventually the case was hastily closed and Matt Holt's killer was found to be a pathetic thief.

Nobody was satisfied with the investigation and it's result but despite many protests, the case was never reopened and to the shock of many, a few years later his younger sister ended up joining the system that had failed him.

"I am okay now…" Katie stated but made no effort to break away from the embrace as Lance continued to rub comforting circles on her back, he now doubted the urgency of the meeting, they could have had it tomorrow as well but perhaps Katie didn't want to be alone at the moment and it made his heart flutter, that although it might have been a subconscious decision but Katie chose to have him around at this moment.

Their hug was eventually broken by Bae Bae, who had just woken from a nap and after noticing the distressed state of her owner wanted to join in the comforting. Katie gratefully accepted the comfort as Bae Bae jumped in her arms.

"Bae Bae! I am fine now!" Katie giggled as Bae Bae continued to lick her face. Lance smiled softly at the sight, leaning against the table. He couldn't help but shake his head at his own self. He hadn't even tried to demand an explanation when Katie had called him.Despite their regular disagreements, he followed Katie's even unconventional orders with only mild protest from time to time but if anyone else had mildly suggested the idea of another meeting after a long day at work, Lance would have gladly thrown hands with them. Over the years, Katie was his only exception.

"Woof!!" Bae Bae barked, bounding towards Lance as Katie left to wash her face. Lance who rewarded her with a pat on her head.

"You are such a good girl but I am pretty sure Katie didn't take you for a walk today, Did she? Do you want to go on a walk with me?" he questioned as Bae Bae curiously blinked at him.

Lance chuckled, grabbing a nearby ball and threw it for Bae Bae to catch. The ball bounced towards Katie's room and Bae Bae joyfully scampered behind it nearly toppling Katie in the process.

"Hey.." Lance softly called out, his brows furrowed yet again in concern but Katie simply smiled, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Seriously.. I am fine now" she assured. She returned back to her table and resumed working with the roses. "It's just that I am exhausted and got a bit overwhelmed because of work" she mumbled and Lance nodded attentively.

"But thank you..for you know.." she added gratefully, offering him a rose. Lance's brows quirked up in amusement, "Katie, are you seriously giving me one of the roses I gave you to show your gratitude" He snickered and Katie couldn't help but laugh as well.

"Then what do you want?" she playfully asked and then immediately regretted the question seeing the devilish grin on Lance's face

"How about we take Bae Bae for a night walk?" he asked, hopefully. "Come on! we were stuck in the office all day and since you are so stressed a late night walk might help you calm down"

Katie smiled, finally placing the last rose in its place. From the many many childhood stories Lance had told her, a lot of them involved a stray puppy the family adopted and who he dearly missed after moving away.

"Well…" Katie started, clearing away her table. She handed Lance the vase, motioning him to place it on the coffee table. "Mom dropped by earlier and took Bae Bae for one but I am quite sure she wouldn't mind another."

"Yes!!"

_________________________

Although she rarely visited the place herself, the park was a big attraction in the neighborhood. At night it was brightly lit and often families liked to visit it after dinner, it provided a nice break from their hectic routines. Parents caught up with their neighborhood friends while kids used up any remaining energy they had before their bedtime.

Tonight was no different, they had only taken a brief walk around the park when a group of excited children arrived, showering BaeBae with treats and affection. Bae Bae perhaps the only extrovert in the family aside from Colleen was immensely enjoying the attention and Katie allowed the children to play fetch with Bae Bae while she and Lance took a seat on a nearby bench.

Lance attentively watched the children, occasionally throwing the ball back when it bounced towards them but Katie on the other hand was lost in her own world. She watched the dark sky which was littered with bright stars with a faint smile painted on her face, her earlier ambitions of being an astrophysicist had now faded into a faraway dream. Although she never regretted her decision. At times Katie wondered what would life be like, if she had actually moved on like everyone hoped she would.

_It would have certainly been different._

"Katie!" Lance suddenly called out, interrupting her train of thoughts. She glanced towards him and much to her amusement,found him pouting.

"We came here to relax. Please tell me you weren't still thinking about the case?" he questioned to which Katie shrugged playfully, "Maybe I was…"

"I have yet to meet someone who is more obsessed in solving crimes than you" he stated, unamused.

"What about Sherlock Holmes?" Katie quipped and Lance shook his head, "I am pretty sure even Sherlock Holmes would salute you in this matter"

"What if I told you,Sherlock Holmes once got engaged with someone in order to solve a murder" she added and Lance glanced at her in horror, wondering if she was hinting her future plans.

"Please don't get engaged to Lotor to solve this case" Lance requested and she in turn smirked teasingly, "I can't promise anything. As they say drastic times call for drastic measures"

"At this point I am not even sure if you are actually serious or not but you wanna know something funny?" he mused to which Katie raised a brow in curiosity.

"Despite the fact you nearly drive me crazy with your antics at times, I would always choose working with you over anyone else. I am pretty sure, you brainwashed me or something but I can't really work with other people's normal approach towards a case anymore...and I know you rather prefer working with someone like James, who is more focused and determined like you but-"

"Wait! Wait! Who told you I would prefer working with James over you?" she asked and Lance blinked in surprise.

"You wouldn't?" he questioned, scratching his head in confusion. Katie shook her head, a smirk dancing on her face, "I mean he is a great partner but like you said, James and I are too similar at times but you and I on the other hand, we balance each other. Our different personalities are our biggest advantage, you pick up the things I miss and vice versa. James and I are a good team but you and me, we are a more efficient one" Katie informed.

"So you are saying that you would choose me as well?" Lance wondered and Katie nodded, "We might not be the most efficient team at the moment but I am glad to be working with you again"

"Did I ever tell you how much I love your brain and all the logical thinking you do!" he cried out, his face breaking into the biggest grin. He lunged forward and tackled her into a hug, Katie yelped in surprise but accepted it.

"You know Lance, sometimes I really wonder what goes on in your mind" she teased, pulling away after a moment. 

Lance chuckled nervously, "Well we had to talk about something to keep you distracted away from the case."

Katie frowned, feeling unconvinced by his reasoning but felt too tired to ponder over it. Her eyes had started to grow heavy and it took every inch of her willpower to not fall asleep on the bench.

"I think we should get going" she suggested, getting up to retrieve Bae Bae. Lance let out a small yawn in agreement, his bright blue eyes were clouded with drowsiness as well.

They slowly and silently made their way back even Bae Bae seemed ready to go to bed despite her earlier nap. Only when they had reached Lance's car was the silence broken by him. He regained his usual alert self for a few minutes, "No more working for tonight. Bae Bae, make sure she doesn't" he strictly ordered and the pair sleepily nodded in unison causing him to chuckle.

He gave Bae Bae a final pat on the head and was about to get in the car when Katie suddenly spoke up, "I just want to add something to the earlier statement" she quipped.

Lance wondered if he was imagining the nervousness dancing in Katie's eyes as she spoke her next words, "You are not only a good colleague but..also one of the greatest friends I have ever had." she confessed, causing Lance's earlier drowsiness to disappear. He grinned widely, opening his arms for another hug when a realization suddenly hit him.

"Wait! does that mean I am the Watson to your Sherlock?" he teased, causing Katie to roll her eyes at him , "Lance, my brain doesn't have enough energy to deal with these statements. Goodnight. Message me when you get home" she ordered.

"Fine. Goodnight" Lance winked, getting inside his car as Katie started walking towards the building after a quick smile. He watched patiently, waiting for Katie to safety get inside her apartment building before starting his car.

Lance whistled merrily along his favourite song, much to the relief of his heavy eyes, he was nearly home but hopes of a goodnight sleep were interrupted when his phone started ringing. One of the things Lance hated the most were late night phone calls, they hardly contained good news but after seeing the name of the caller, a faint smile emerged in place of the concerned frown.

"Hey Ronnie" he answered, putting his phone on the speaker. "Lance, open your laptop" came his sister's less welcoming reply, one of the similarities Katie and Veronica shared with each other aside of wearing glasses was their hardcore commitment towards their work.

"I am not home yet" Lance replied, trying his best to keep his concentration on the road.

"It's almost 11! What are you still doing out?!" Veronica cried out and Lance winced at the old memories, the time he tried to go past his curfew and was then dealt with neither mom nor dad but his scary older sister.

"I was with Katie" He replied and immediately regretted it as Veronica whistled. He would rather suffer the scolding a hundred times than the teasing that was about to take place.

"Little Bro, when are you bringing Katie over for dinner. It's about time you do so!" she teased.

"Veronica!" Lance cried out, nearly shrieking.

"I already told you. We are friends. Friends hangout in their free time" he informed sarcastically, trying to ignore the heat in his cheeks. 

"If you guys are just friends. Why does your voice get all high and squeaky when I mention her?" Veronica challenged. Lance knew it was simply impossible to argue with his older sister, she was a fine doctor but could also have had a great career as a lawyer.

"Ronnie, I believe you called me for some purpose." Lance reminded and his sister chuckled on the other end. "Sorry I got a little distracted, Nothing interesting happens in my life. Anyway by bravely risking my own job I have emailed the patient's file, you requested. I looked over it and I have to admit it's a bit concerning especially considering the timeline of events. Get home and I'll explain you the details then"

"Thanks Ronnie. You are the best" Lance grinned and Veronica dramatically sighed, "Things I have to do for my little bro to help him impress his crush"

He considered it a wise time to end the call, he loved his sister but unfortunately he would always have to keep Veronica ten miles away from Katie. 

After another five minutes, Lance had finally arrived back at his own home. He slowly climbed the stairs, his eyes refusing to stay open but for Lance, sleep was still a faraway dream. He still needed to talk to Veronica and there was a good chance that Hunk might call later as well. Lately he had been facing the pre wedding anxiety that kept him and Lance both awake.

Lance swiftly ignored his bed, knowing well enough he wouldn't be able to avoid the temptation of sleep. He instead opted for his less comfortable couch and begrudgingly opened his laptop. He really hoped that for once in her life, Katie was taking his advice and had gone to bed early. _Speaking of Katie,_ Lance lightly slapped his forehead, grabbing his barely alive phone again.

He typed a quick message that he had reached home, he always found this request very out of character for her yet it was something she took very seriously. Once he had forgotten to do so and had then been awakened by a very angry call from her.

Katie was still awake as she immediately viewed the message and started typing a reply. He felt slightly disappointed that Katie had ignored his request but in a mere seconds his frown twitched into a smile when he read her reply.

"Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow, Watson" he read, laughing heartily. He fondly glanced at the clock on his wall, before opening his laptop. _Sure the night was still long but it had become a lot more bearable._

______________________

Katie frowned glaring at her phone, she impatiently drummed her fingers against her desk, rereading the message Lance had sent last night. There was something important he had discovered regarding the case but still hadn't reached work.

"Katie" Shiro called, approaching her desk and she immediately stood up. The usual calm smile on Shiro's face was replaced by a concerned frown. "Did Lance also?" she wondered and he nodded, showing her his phone.

"I just read it. Anyway when he shows up. Come straight to my office" he ordered and Katie nodded. After Shiro had left, Katie slumped back into her seat. She rubbed her temple, stifling back a yawn despite going to bed early yesterday, she felt more exhausted than usual. 

She slowly got up, opting for the second cup of coffee for the morning but as she stirred the hot steaming cup of coffee, she was joined by another brunette colleague. James grinned at her, "Good morning!"

Katie scoffed,"Please, you know me well enough to know that my mornings are rarely good"

James chuckled fondly, "I remember. It had taken me sometime to adjust to your morning persona and I would be a fool to think that this is your first coffee of the day"

Katie's eyes playfully narrowed at him, "Don't be so much judgemental. You are hardly any better"

James raised his hands in surrender, "Well I am trying to limit myself to only four cups a day but let's see. Speaking of coffee, I am still very heart broken over you rejecting my coffee date. The only way to heal the pain, would be by you accepting it for today" He declared.

Katie rolled her eyes, their inside joke had really gotten out of hand by now. "Well I really can't promise anything for today either but I have to ask. Are you running for some kind of record? A Guinness world record for the greatest number of rejections by a single person?" She pondered playfully.

"You know, that is not a bad idea. At this point, I might as well" he agreed, letting out a small chuckle. Katie frowned, glancing at her phone before turning back to the conversation.

"But you know, there isn't really any prize money for actually setting up a record, just a measly certificate which honestly wouldn't be much to brag about" she informed.

James chuckled, "I didn't expect you to be so short sighted in my great plan. When I do set the record, I will give a heart wrenching speech about my unrequited feelings. I am sure there will be some kind souls who would sponsor me to go on a nice vacation to get over my heart break"

Katie grinned at him in an impressed manner, "I know that I should be slightly offended that you are using me as a plane ticket but that's not a bad idea. Since I will be the reason behind your success, I want to come on this vacation as well"

"That would be very ironic for you to do" James teased to which Katie shrugged.

"I don't care" Katie sighed, rubbing her eyes in the vain attempt to get rid of her exhaustion. "I am badly in need for a break"

"How's the case going? Progress?" he wondered and Katie groaned, "Not much but Lance said that he had something to discus-And speak of the devil!" Katie grinned, glancing at her phone which had buzzed with a notification for a message just a second ago.

James watched as Katie skimmed through the message from the 'devil', subconsciously biting her lip in concentration. He always found her especially cute when her face was scrunched up like that. After a few seconds, Katie looked up again, briefly acknowledging his presence before grabbing her stuff.

"Lance went directly to Shiro's office so I better head there as well. I'll see you later" she hastily explained, not sparing a single breath.

"That's alr-" he barely had the opportunity to complete his response for Katie had already bolted off. He softly smiled at the now distant figure. _It would take a lot more than a vacation to get rid of his unrequited feelings._

____________________

"Lotor, what a pleasant surprise!" 

Lotor smirked, taking a tentative sip of his drink. "I am already aware that you were expecting me. So let's cut to the chase and talk business"

"Very well" The man exclaimed. "What can I possibly do for you?"

"I need information. About an officer. Katie Holt" Lotor informed and the man smirked in response,"Holt, you say eh? Well you are in for a ride"

**Author's Note:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed. Let me know your favourite parts.


End file.
